Kate Middleton is 'recovering well and will be back by Easter', royal ...

Kate Middleton, pictured on a royal engagement, ‘needs to be left in peace’ to recover from her abdominal surgery, sources have claimed

Kate Middleton is ‘recovering well and will be back by Easter’, royal insiders have claimed today - after sources said she was ‘deeply hurt’ by the photography controversy.

The Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery at the London Clinic on January 16, but details of her condition have been kept private, and she was not expected to return to official duties until after the bank holiday weekend at the end of March.

However sources have now suggested she could return to public duty before that and said she could actually make an appearance in the next few weeks. Speaking to American site PageSix, an anonymous source said, ‘Kate is recovering well and she will be back by Easter. She just needs to be left in peace.’

The Princess is believed to have been working on her Early Years campaign work while out of the public eye. Sources previously told Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl, there is ‘no pressure for her to return to work before she is fully fit’ and clarified the Princess will not be rushed back into the public eye following the surgery.

Updates on the Princess’ wellbeing have been sparse since it was announced she was undergoing planned surgery back in January - however social media rumours and a frenzy of tabloid speculation appear have prompted a number of statements from the palace. When the surgery was announced, an official statement from the palace acknowledged the ‘interest’ this news will garner but asked for respect and privacy during what will no doubt be a challenging time for Kate's closest family.

In a statement, a spokesperson said, ‘The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate.

‘She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.’

As such Kensington Palace said they would only provide ‘significant new information’ on her medical progress, to retain privacy for her medical information and her children's lives.

Public theorising reached fever-pitch last month with concern spiking as a result of Prince Williams’ notable absence from his godfather King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor Castle.

A representative for Kate told US Weekly: ‘We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant.’ They added only that the ‘guidance stands.’

The Princess, pictured at her last official royal appearance on Christmas Day

The somewhat formidable response followed speculation on social media that the Prince of Wales was conspicuously missing from Constantine’s service because of the Princess’ ongoing health issues. A brief update followed by a palace aide at an event at Windsor Castle, who declared that ‘The Princess of Wales continues to be doing well.’

The now infamous image released for Mother’s Day marked the first time the Princess had been seen officially since her surgery and was supposed to quell social media rumours which had become a frenzy in recent days. However, after the picture was released on Sunday, eagle-eyed members of the public were quick to point out a number of ‘errors’ in the image which appeared to have been digitally manipulated. The Palace came under immense pressure over the picture after it was withdrawn by Reuters, AP, Getty and AFP, before Kate Middleton released a statement to reveal she, in fact, had edited it.

After the admission, the Princess was pictured as she joined Prince William on the drive out of Windsor ahead of the Commonwealth Day Service. She didn't join the royal family at the event however, instead attending a ‘private appointment.’

Reports suggested the Princess has been left hurt by the scandal which has been caused. A palace insider told The Telegraph that Kate had just tried to make the picture the ‘best it could be’. Meanwhile, according to the Mirror a friend of the Princess said she was ‘deeply upset’ over the storm caused by what was supposed to be an ‘innocent family photograph.’

As to exactly when Kate will return to duty, that is still yet to be seen. But, amidst the controversy, Prince William has been continuing with public engagements. He led the royal family at the Commonwealth Day Service on March 11, before attending the private funeral for Thomas Kingston on March 12. On March 14, he’s due to visit WEST, the new OnSide Youth Zone in Hammersmith and Fulham, before marking the 25th anniversary of the Diana Award by attending the Legacy Awards.